Crown Northampton

The brand launched in 2016 as a direct-to-consumer company, introducing the Jazz collection as its first customer-facing range. The Jazz collection draws inspiration from classic jazz dance shoes, emphasizing simplicity and movement in its design.

Crown Northampton sources materials exclusively from established tanneries including CF Stead in Leeds and The Horween Company in Chicago, while maintaining local sourcing for lasts, tooling, and soles from Northamptonshire suppliers. The company's construction methods include hand-lasting, clicking, French binding, hot cork footbed filling, and optional handwelting, with all sneakers built to resoleable standards typically reserved for traditional dress shoes.

Chris Woodford founded Crown Northampton in 2016 to apply traditional English shoemaking techniques to contemporary sneaker production. The brand launched with the Jazz collection, inspired by classic jazz dance shoes and designed for simplicity and movement. This collection served as Crown Northampton's first direct-to-consumer offering, establishing the business model that continues to define the company's approach to manufacturing and sales.

The 2016 launch established a made-to-order, direct-to-consumer model while employing handmade construction methods rooted in Northampton's shoemaking traditions.

Crown Northampton produces all footwear handmade to order in their Northampton factory, employing skilled craftspeople trained in traditional British construction methods. The made-to-order model eliminates excess inventory, with current lead times of 9-12 weeks for footwear and 2 weeks for accessories and care products.

The construction process begins with clicking, the traditional term for pattern cutting in shoemaking, where craftspeople cut leather components from hides. Hand-lasting follows, shaping the upper leather over wooden or plastic lasts to establish the shoe's final form. French binding finishes the upper edges, creating a clean seam around the collar and throat.

Hot cork is applied to fill the footbed, a technique borrowed from traditional dress shoe construction that provides cushioning while molding to the wearer's foot over time. The company offers handwelting upon customer request, though standard production typically employs cementing methods to attach rubber outsoles. This construction approach, adapted from dress shoe manufacturing, enables Crown Northampton sneakers to be resoled when the outsoles wear through, a feature uncommon in conventional sneaker production.

All production occurs in-house within the Northampton facility, maintaining control over quality and construction standards while supporting the local skilled labor force that has sustained Northampton's shoemaking industry for centuries.

Crown Northampton sources leather exclusively from established tanneries known for traditional production methods and material quality. CF Stead of Leeds, England supplies box calf, vegetable-tanned leather, janus calf, and deer suede. The Horween Company of Chicago, Illinois provides shell cordovan, buffalo, and chromexcel leathers.

Additional components including lasts, specialized tooling, and sole materials are sourced from suppliers within Northamptonshire, supporting the regional manufacturing ecosystem that has developed around the area's historic shoemaking industry. Vibram rubber outsoles are custom-cut and finished to Crown Northampton's specifications.

Interior components include oak-tanned leather midsoles and vegetable-tanned calfskin linings, materials selected for their ability to conform to the wearer's foot while providing structural support. The vegetable tanning process employs natural plant-based tannins, resulting in leather that develops character and patina with wear.

The company's material sourcing philosophy emphasizes working with tanneries that maintain traditional production methods and can provide consistent quality across leather types. This approach supports Crown Northampton's positioning as a bridge between heritage dress shoe construction and contemporary sneaker design.